CBP Making 'Progress' on Port Modernization Efforts, Officials Say
CBP has made "progress" on various port modernization projects since the enactment of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law (see 2111080043), acting Executive Assistant Commissioner Ryan Scudder said during CBP’s Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit April 17. Executive Assistant Commissioner Pete Flores said the funding was "needed" but stressed that it was just a "starting point" for CBP, as the planning for these projects takes time.
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"Getting the money and having funding upfront really helps us cut down on some of that time," he said, adding that it "really allows us to plan for what our needs are today and then hopefully plan as best we can what those things are going to be 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 30 years from now."
CBP hopes to introduce more non-intrusive inspection (NII) technologies (see 2210080006) as part of the port modernization process, with Flores saying CBP wants to increase its NII scan rate from 40% to 70%. But increasing the rate may be challenging, he said.
"If we're going to get to a 70% scan rate with cargo coming across our borders, then what does that mean from a technology perspective on how we adjudicate images and how do we assess risk?" Flores said. "Are we building facilities in order to be able to handle that type of growth with the trucks coming across our borders and the amount of images to go through and detect anomalies?" Flores said "there's a lot that goes into the planning."